


Freedom

by RdmFavCpls



Series: Birthday Countdown 2018 [6]
Category: Digimon - All Media Types
Genre: Based off of Everything Everything, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 02:37:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15184889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RdmFavCpls/pseuds/RdmFavCpls
Summary: Prompt Summary: Ami feels like a caged bird and her friends leave her due to it. However, a new neighbor who is an old friend starts to rebuild their friendship and secrets will be revealed. Will Ami finally be free or will she forever stay as a caged bird?





	Freedom

Title: Birthday Countdown 2018

Rating: T 

Category: Digimon

Pairing: Ami/Arata 

Summary: Hello everyone! It’s that time of year again where I use prompts to create a story everyday until my birthday. This is my birthday gifts to all of you. Please read and review and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters within the story and prompts. 

Special thanks to my friend who gave me the prompts for this year. 

Also this prompt is based off of the movie Everything Everything but I have yet to seen it. I did look it up on wikipedia.

Chapter 5 - Freedom

Prompt Summary: Ami feels like a caged bird and her friends leave her due to it. However, a new neighbor who is an old friend starts to rebuild their friendship and secrets will be revealed. Will Ami finally be free or will she forever stay as a caged bird?

 

~~Story Begins~~

A cyber body was a bittersweet experience for Ami. She’s never felt more free in her life and when she returned back to her body, she thought everything was okay with her. 

It wasn’t. She had to leave her freedom behind after a month of being back to normal. 

She’s back to being caged in her room. She is a bird that wants to fly, but the cage isn’t big enough for her or her dreams. 

Ami rested her head against her bedroom window as she sat on her window seat. She watched her neighbors put their bocces into moving vans. Their daughter talked to her via whiteboard and it took Ami a while to trust her. It wasn’t because she was jealous of her freedom, but deep down Ami is shy. She’s not shy in cyberspace or with her friends unless they get near. She doesn’t want them to know that she’s caged.

Ami waved at her friend outside before they entered the moving van. Ami looked back down at her sketchpad and started to sketch out her version of the ocean.  
Blue Box: Looks like I’m moving.

The avatar let out a sigh.

Akkino: What? Why?

Blue Box: Dad and Mom are getting relocated to a better job.

Munchies: we will miss you. Where are you getting relocated too?

Akkino: Yeah! This way we can visit you!

Blue Box typed out the information before he called it a night and logged off.

Arata stared at his contact list. He felt bad for blocking Ami’s account, but she kept making excuses as to why she couldn’t hang out with them. It was Nokia’s idea when she found out that Ami was no longer Kyoko’s assistant. That didn’t stop him from worrying about her through.

Ami regrets not telling her ‘friends’ about her caged condition and she also regrets not going to the ocean. It’s the one place she longs to go. Digital images, virtual reality, and sounds will never be as good as the physical things. She looked out her window and saw the house was already sold. 

“Well that was fast,” Ami said as she sat on her bean bag chair.

Arata looked at his new house. It was better than an the apartment that they’ve been crammed in. He walked into his room with his first two boxes and saw that in front of the curtains was a white board.

“That’s a weird place to forget something,” Arata said as he sat the boxes down. He picked it up and read it.

Hello! I left this white board here on purpose. This window looks into the next house’s window and it’s a girl’s bedroom. Her name is Aiba Ami, but she prefers Ami. She can’t leave her room so be kind to her.

Arata blinked at the message before he sat the white board back down. “Ami lives next door?” he said to himself. “I’ll talk to her once I get all my things in here and after I rearrange my room.”

Ami was busy working on her homework. She has nothing else to do really. Every Monday and Tuesday she gets one, maybe two, weeks of all her classes homework done. The rest of the week she draws, read, and write. She might play some games on her digivice, but she doesn’t get on it much anymore. She used to enjoy chatting online with her friends until they blocked her. Nokia warned her about it, but it isn’t like Ami was lying or making excuses on purpose. 

She’s sick and her mother forbids her from leaving the house. Her room actually but she didn’t want her friends to think she was in a bad situation or that her mother could be abusing her.

It startled her when her digivice went off with a digi-line message. She erased the word that she wrote before she looked at her message and almost dropped the electrical device.

Arata: Is there a reason as to why you can’t leave your house.

Ami: I believe I have told all of you that I’m sick and she doesn’t want me to leave.

She couldn’t even finish rewriting the word before it went off again.

Arata: Let me rephrase my question.

Arata: Is there a reason as to why you can’t leave your room?

Ami tapped her fingers against her desk. How should she respond to someone who un-blocked her and just asked the reason over her secret. Quite bluntly too, but the bigger question was, how did he know?

Ami I have no idea over what you are talking about.

Arata let out a small laugh when he read her response. He could tell she was angry and he didn’t know what to expect for her answers would be, but it suits her. He placed the book on the bookshelf and took a picture of the whiteboard.

Ami looked at her digivice and was tempted to ignore it, but when it went off a second time she couldn’t resist the temptation. It was nice to be talking to someone in the outside world again. Her heart went to her throat as she saw the whiteboard with familiar handwriting.

Arata: Uh-huh. Then explain this message.

Arata had finished placing his books, animes, and figurines on his bookshelf and still hadn’t gotten a response. He wonders if he dropped the news to soon and pushed her away. He started to put his bed together next to his desk. 

He was hoping that maybe he can get Ami to talk to him again so he had purposely positioned his desk in front of the window. He checked his digivice and was surprised that he had two messages from Ami.

Ami: You are my new neighbor

Ami: Aren’t you?

Arata: Yep. I also happened to have the room across from yours.

Ami: Give me one good reason as to why I should tell you or anyone out of what you guys did to me?

Arata winced. She had a point and she has every right to keep her guard up. She did everything they wanted her to do, but after she returned to her physical body, she asked them to do one thing and they refused.

Ami looked at her digivice as it went off. She laughed coldly at the response as someone in a white coat entered her room. She found it ironic that he’ll offer it to her now when she’s a chained bird instead of when she was free. 

“Ami, are you okay?” the person asked.

“Yes, grandma, I’m fine. Let me finish this message and I will get ready for the check-up,” Ami said.

Arata: I will take you to the ocean.

He knew he was pulling a cheap move that had a long shot of actually working. He knew that she was going to get angry and he knew that she had every right. He was hoping that her response will give him some kind of clue as to her predicament.

He dropped his clothes that he just got out of the box to look at his digivice. Her response made him confused. 

Ami: Nice try, but no thank you.

Ami: It’s too late for me to go there anymore.

Arata: What do you mean?

He wasn’t going to get a response that night and it was going to be a while before he did. Ami had every right to block him and he accepted it. Not that he wanted too, but he didn’t have time to take care of himself again. His parents were almost always gone and if they were at home it would be arguing. So since he’s the oldest, he’s been busy taking care of his five younger siblings while getting all of his homework done.

It wasn’t until months later that Ami messaged Arata. He looked over at his digivice and was thankful for the distraction. The words in his textbook was starting to blur. He was surprised to see that it was from Ami since he thought she blocked him.

Ami: You look like you could collapse at any minute. Is everything okay?

Arata sighed and looked at the window. Ami was sitting on her window seat which seemed to be her favorite spot he noticed. She tilted her head to the side as she held up the whiteboard.

Are you okay?

Arata shook his head. He pulled out the whiteboard and marker. He looked back over Ami to see that she was drawing. She looked back up and over out the window as he held his whiteboard up.

I’m fine and everything is okay.

Ami rolled her eyes which caused Arata to smirk as she erased her message. When she held it back up, his smirk vanished.

Liar. You look like I do seconds before I collapse. Respond to me via Digi-line. I’m sure it is easier for you.

Arata erased his message and left the board on top of his desk. He picked up his digivice and amd started to type.

Arata: Just stressed. Family matters and school.

Ami: We go to the same school so why don’t you just ask the school for help?

Arata: The school won’t be able to help me.

Ami: I’m sorry, but if the school can push assignments back because a student was planning the biggest house party when their parents went on vacation, they can help you.

Arata: That’s good and all but no thank you.

Ami: Then ask me for help!

Ami watched as Arata rubbed his eyes. She knew he was getting weaker and weaker and wonders if it is because of his parents are never home. She’s been trying to ask him but he always seemed to be busy and she didn’t want to make matters worse for him. 

Her eyes widened as Arata tried to stand up only to fall to the ground. She waited a couple of seconds before she rushed out of her room.

When Arata woke up, he was on his bed and the smell of ramen was attacking his nose. He sat up and on his desk was a bowl of ramen.

“Oh, you’re awake,” a female voice said. “That’s good you had us worried.”

“Us? Who are you?” Arata asked as he turned to face the unfamiliar woman. 

The lady had grey hair in a bun, her black eyes were hidden behind wrinkles and she wore a white lab coat over a pink shirt and black pants.

“I’m just a retired doctor,” she said. “Your brothers and sisters have already been fed and put to bed. I forgot how much energy young children have.”

Questions were racing through his mind. He watched as the lady walked to his desk.

“You should eat and get some well deserved rest,” the lady said. “I won’t notify your parents if you do one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Come over next door and visit,” the lady said. “We could always use some company.”

After the lady left, Arata went to his desk and looked out the window. Ami was asleep with her head using the window as a pillow. The white board was leaning against the window. He read what it said. 

Don’t scare me like that, please.

“You still care, even after how we treated you,” Arata said to himself with a small smile.

In two days, Arata found himself standing in front of the door and rang the doorbell. He talked to his school and let them know that his parents are barely home so he’s been taking care of his five younger siblings. They put him in online classes but he’s still a little bit behind.

“Oh! Hello there!” the doctor lady said as she opened the door. “Please come in. Sorry for all the desensitization you are going to be going through. I find it to be just as annoying as much as my granddaughter does.” She looked at the young man. “You are a Sanada, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“If I need to can I take a sample of your blood?”

“Why?”

“Your family has a history of NOT having any allergies,” she said. “I want to try something with it if the need arises for it.”

Arata looked at her and saw that she was serious and thinking of someone else. “Can you go into more details?”

“I would tell you, but I need to use your blood than it would ruin the surprise,” the lady said with a wink.

“If you need to than sure,” Arata said and picked his stuff up after everything got desensitized. “So, where is Ami?”

“She’s in her room, she has no idea that you are here,” the lady said. “Just go up the stairs and head right. Her door is on the right. You can’t miss it since it’s glass.”

“Thanks,” Arata said. He followed the lady’s directions and found the glass door. The door opened automatically and he entered the room. He saw Ami at her desk drawing and it seemed like she didn’t hear him come in.

“You were right,” Arata said. He smirked as Ami jumped in surprised and faced him him with wide eyes. “The school is giving me some help since I’m taking care of my five siblings alone again.”

“Five siblings?” Ami said placing her pencil down.

“Yep,” he said. “So, I’m taking your advice and also asking for you for hel. I’m still behind and I don’t like it.”

She motioned to her bed. “You have five siblings? That could be why you collapsed.”

“Yes, I am presuming your grandmother came over and helped,” Arata said. He placed his bag down on her bed before he looked at her. “Can I be blunt with you?”

“You are asking for my permission to be blunt?” Ami said in confusion. “Maybe you fall did some brain damage since that isn’t like you.”

“I haven’t even been here for five minutes and this house feels like a prison and your room feels like a -”

“Cage.” Ami said. “I know. I used to be oblivious to the fact but I had a chance of experiencing the outside world and see it now. What can I do, however?”

“Why?”

“You’ve asked me that once Arata. I still don’t feel comfortable talking to you about it yet.”

“I understand,” Arata said. “I would like to know if-”

“I’m not being abused. That’s why I said house not room. I knew all of you would jump to that conclusion,” Ami said. “I’m already enough trouble to my mother and I hate causing her even more trouble.” Ami turned to the side and pulled out one of her desk drawers. “So what do you need help with?”

Months passed and it was getting close to Ami’s birthday. Her grandmother had injected a shot in her and was waiting to see the results. Arata was getting close to a breaking point with his family so he often took refuge in Ami’s room.

“I want to leave for a week,” Arata said to Ami one day. “I just want to be gone for a week without telling my family. I’m sure they won’t care.”

“I can understand that, but I know you. You won’t leave your responsibilities to your brother,” Ami said. “However, you need a break from all this stress with your family.”

“I know, and I had a week planned out to where I wouldn’t be with my parents. They knew that I had everything reserved and paid to go to a convention, but no. They placed me in charge and wouldn’t even listen to me or that I already had plans.”

“Has the convention already happened?” Ami asked.

“No, I was going to take my youngest sister with me but she has summer camp so I have an extra ticket,” Arata said.

“Well, I’m sure grandma can babysit for you,” Ami said. “She would scold your parents too.”

“I might take her up on that,” Arata said. “However, I need someone to fill in that extra ticket and someone’s birthday is coming up.”

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Ami asked. “You know I can’t go with you.”

“It’s on your wishlist plus it is near the ocean,” Arata said. “Your grandmother thinks it will be best for you as well.”

“My grandmother keeps thinking that I’m a normal person. I can’t leave my room!”

“You can’t or you won’t?”

“I can’t,” Ami said. She wrapped her arms around her waist. “Arata, I would die.”

“How? I mean, yes, there are multiple factors that could cause a death from point A to point B but-”

“Would die, not could die. Arata, I’m allergic to everything. I can’t go outside because the air or anything could kill me,” Ami said. “My food has to be prepared a certain way otherwise it could kill me.”

“That’s why you couldn’t hang out with us anymore,” Arata said hiding his surprise. “But is it really worth living live this way if you can’t truly live? I mean you was fine for a month after you returned back to your body.”

“I know. I don’t know why my body didn’t collapse sooner and mom hasn’t been home so I could ask,” Ami said. “I don’t want to live my life this way, but what choice do I have? Mom is the one who makes the rules. My grandma does let me get away with a lot of things that Mom won’t.

“Like what?”

“You,” Ami said. Arata stared at her in confusion which caused Ami to smile. “Mom would never allow me to have any visitors.”

“Hey, I need to check something out at home,” Arata said. “Can I send you the result?”

“Yeah, of course,” Ami said. 

“Thanks, I’ll be back.

The next day, Ami looked at the email Arata sent her as her grandma came into the room and saw the teenage girl started to get mad.

“Is everything okay?” she asked. “I mean, I have something good to tell you, but it would lose the effect if you are mad.”

“No, everything is not okay!” Ami said standing up from her chair and causing it to fall over. “Grandma! Arata sent me my medical records from when I was in EDEN Syndrome and when I collapse.” She turned to glare at her grandmother. “I have zero allergies and zero immune system problems.”

“Oh! Great minds think alike,” her grandma said. “That was the good news I was going to tell.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Ami yelled at her grandma.

“Because I just found out,” her grandma said. “I’m a retired doctor and even through your mother left me in charge of you, she won’t let me see your medical records which raised a red flag. I wasn’t sure through until last night, but you was already asleep.”

Ami calmed down. Her grandmother has never lied to her before but she knows her mother has. “What are you talking about?”

“Remember that shot I gave you?” her grandmother said. Ami nodded. “Well, if you did what your mother said you had, you would be in the hospital by now.”

“Why would Mom lie about that through?” Ami asked.

“Your father died in a subway accident and I don’t think she has moved on yet.”

Ami’s digivice went off. She looked at it.

Arata: Let me ask it properly. Would you like to go with me to the convention and to the ocean?

“Is it that young man?” her grandmother asked.

“Yes.”

“Go ahead and go with him, but leave your glove here. This way, your mother won’t be able to track you.” She leaned up and kissed Ami’s forehead. “Spread your wings, Ami.”

“Thank you, Grandma,” Ami said as she took her glove off and sent a message to her friend.

Ami: I would love too.


End file.
